Traveling will almost always knock you off your routines. You’re eating out for every meal, wining and dining with colleagues and may or may not have access to workout equipment.
My clients always insist: “I can’t lose weight or have a healthy lifestyle, because I am always on the road”.
I understand it’s hard, I’ve been there. After spending 18 months traveling around the world, every routine was gone. I craved healthy foods and was glad to get in a run in when I could. The key to success while traveling is to always choose healthy. It’s easy to grab fast food and use the excuse of traveling to quit working out, but if you travel often you need to work in the health routines into your lifestyle to be sustainable. Do the basics to set yourself up for success.
My Tips for Staying Healthy When You Travel
- Start A Routine Day 1 – This means go to the gym the first day you arrive no matter how bad your jetlag is. Find a grocer on day 1 and get fresh fruit to carry with you, for when the hunger pains strike.
- Always pack your tennis shoes – This routine starts before you leave. If you don’t pack your tennis shoes there is a 100% chance you won’t use them. Set yourself up for success and give yourself the option to workout, by guaranteeing you always have your tennis shoes available.
- Request a Refrigerator – Ask your hotel to have a small refrigerator put in your room, especially if you are traveling somewhere for a week or more. Go to the grocery store and stock up on fresh fruits & vegetables and greek yogurt for the morning. This will help you skip the fast food runs because you are running late.
- Get Over the Vacation Mentality – It’s easy to feel like we are on vacation when we travel. We convince ourselves we need comfort food because we are away form home, and we deserve the not-so-healthy foods now, but we will get back “on track” when we get home. If you travel every week for work you can’t let yourself fall into this frame of thinking, you are not on vacation, this is your life.
- Have go-to places where you know you can get healthier fast food – I have a list of at least 5 go to fast food restaurants (I’ll share with you next week) and know at least one item at each restaurant that I can order and still stay within my healthy range of nutrition. When you are traveling it’s about choosing healthy. It won’t be the best, but its about going with your best option.
Creating routines around your exercise and eating schedule will not only help keep your weight down, but it will help you sleep better on the road, avoid getting sick and manage your stress with the constant movement. When you travel for work, it’s not an option. To make it work you need to create expectations and hold yourself to high standards when it comes to your health!
What did I miss? What are your tips for traveling and staying healthy?
photo: ReebokOne
